Wednesday, June 15, 2011

One month later

As we hit the middle of June - damn it, already... - it is just about one month since I've put EVE Online on the back burner and started to watch what's been happenning from the sidelines, so I thought it would be good to look back on not only my decision, but also my perception of what's been happening lately. Let's start by saying that this break feels awesome so far, like a vacation after having worked too long. I don't miss the game, but I do miss the interaction with the people who play it.

First of all I won't presume to have an idea of what's going on with the different power blocs, the invasions, the fail-cascades and so on. I just don't care about politics more than to know who's loitering where, and that will probably change like 200 times before I even think about maybe getting back in, which sure as hell won't be tomorrow. There was a patch that came out the day after I left the game that was supposed to fix a crap-ton of little annoying things without actually adding stuff to the game, except maybe the changes to the jump bridge mechanics. I read some whining when the patch was applied but then it seemed to die down, proof that like with all whining subjects in EVE everybody just rolls with it. So a month later, how do you 0.0 guys feel about that change? Another thing to come with the patch was a change in the scanning mechanics, with better range, scan time, and use of the probes. I admit I felt like getting back just to try that. I understand that EVE is supposed to be hard, but that doesn't mean it has to be a pain in the ass. So all pain in the ass fixes should be welcome, and to those who think EVE should remain uber complex, well just go design me a nuclear-powered VTOL aircraft or something. Too many people seem to forget it, but EVE IS A GAME FFS !!!

Around the same time I left, the Captain's Quarters had hit Duality, and now with Incarna around the corner I hear it's now on Singularity. I've always been of two minds about Incarna. Sure it would be cool (if a bit geeky) to have a beer at the MAPU Brewery let's say, but what that would do is suck more of people's time, which is already being sucked to no end when you're actually out in space. If CCP wants people to jack into EVE 24/7 Matrix style, they're doing it right. But unless one is a) retired, b) invalid, c) a hermit, d) unemployed, e) lacking any semblance of social life, or f) all of the above, this is not possible. But oh well, once it's developed enough I'm sure Incarna will be a valid alternative to ship-spinning, and God knows there's a lot of that! Of course that's if CCP can manage to get a walking character to interact with its surroundings properly. If I read Letrange right, they don't quite get it. Weird that most of all other MMO producing companies do get it...

Before I talk about Dust I must also mention something about the turrets being reworked. Sure they look cool, but in my case the only time I would ever notice them would be during the odd mission. In PvP I played zoomed out so I could see most of the grid, and my Vagabond for example would be 1 or 2mm long, maybe 5 to 10mm when maneuvering manually during a fight. At that size turrets could be drawn by my 4y old kid and I wouldn't care. I still say this was a waste of ressources that could've been aimed at something more important, but if it rocks your boat, good for you.

And now that E3 is over we've all seen the Dust 514 trailer a few times. Does anyone who own an Xbox and knows the way Micro$oft does business really expected Dust to come out for THAT console? What the hell sort of cave have you been hiding in ?! When Dust was announced to be console only it was evident that it would come out exclusively for the PS3 because M$ would have kept its ugly nose in everything CCP does. That said, I still think that at some point CCP will have to port the game to the PC because that's where its ENTIRE player base is. Only time will tell, and anyway Dust is still over a year away. Soon™ indeed.

And the latest thing, Lulzsec attacks. Awesome. Apparently I left EVE at just the right time!

So in retrospect, am I happy to have left New Eden behind? I have to admit it: yes I am. Though I've made good friends IRL and online, fought with good and bad people, smacked with the best in the business and been reprimanded by directors who barely even undock, and grown a lot as a character over 3.5 years, at this point in time I do not miss EVE Online at all. Hell I don't even play my other games much. The real life projects I have are way, WAY more interesting than any computer game or simulation could be. And I love this :)

Fly dangerous, virtually or IRL

o7

Edit 2011/06/22: Looks like Cozmik will be in cryosleep a very long time... case in point. For the first time ever I sincerely hope CCP gets the fail-cascade it deservers. And I didn't even talk about the stuff they broke !!!